February 22, 2008

Kalamazoo College Names New Provost

KALAMAZOO, MICH – Kalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran announced today that Michael A. “Mickey” McDonald, Ph.D., will become the new Provost at Kalamazoo College, effective July 1.

McDonald has served in a variety of faculty and administrative posts at Occidental College in Los Angeles since 1993. Currently, he is Associate Dean for Curriculum and Academic Affairs. In the position of Provost at Kalamazoo, he will serve as the College’s chief academic officer with oversight of all educational affairs and activities, including academic personnel.

“On behalf of the entire campus community, I want to welcome Mickey to Kalamazoo College,” said President Wilson-Oyelaran. “He brings a wealth of experience and an enthusiasm for teaching and learning to his position as Provost. We are delighted to have him and his partner join our family.”

McDonald earned a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics from Duke University and a B.S. degree in math (cum laude) from Davidson College in North Carolina. His other duties at Occidental have included Interim Director of International Programs, Dean of Students, and Chairman of the Mathematics Department.

“Kalamazoo is one of the nation’s premiere liberal arts colleges,” said McDonald. “I look forward to working with faculty, students, and administration as we seek to grow the College’s reputation and strengthen the experience provided to all students, both in and out of the classroom.”

Like Kalamazoo College, Occidental is a highly selective and diverse liberal arts college. Founded in 1887, it has 1,825 students from 46 states and 21 foreign countries.

A Fellowship in Learning: At Home in the World, Kalamazoo College (175 years old in 2008) is a national liberal arts college and the creator and home of the Kalamazoo Plan. By emphasizing scholarship, civic engagement, and foreign study, Kalamazoo College cultivates a fellowship in learning among students, faculty, and a community of scholars throughout the world. Its students shape elements of the Kalamazoo Plan--rigorous academics, career internships, study abroad, service-learning, and a senior individualized project--into an educational experience that provides insight into the meaning of the kind of citizenship that is at home in the world.